


Darker in the day than the dead of night

by Rollamas



Category: All For the Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, and I am not sorry, and Neil is persephone, in which Andrew is hades, modern hades and persephone au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-15 01:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8036893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rollamas/pseuds/Rollamas
Summary: In which Andrew is a bored ruler of death, and Neil Josten is a runaway boy with an affinity for earth who caught his eye.





	Darker in the day than the dead of night

**Author's Note:**

> tw for a slight panic attack at the end.

A poisonous wisteria vine began to sprout out from the sink in the corner as unchecked frustration flared in Neil's stomach as he tried to make sense of the oddly specific order the head bridesmaid had given him in regards to what the bride wanted in her bouquet. Neil did consider himself somewhat of a plant expert after three solid years of working in Millport’s only flower shop, but he had no clue what 'showy but not too eye catching with a dash of flirtatious symbolism' meant. That was more of Katelyn's area of expertise but her brief absence meant Neil was stuck trying to make sense of the request.

Normally such an order wouldn't bother him thanks to his sixth sense when it came to picking the right flowers, but romance and wedding arrangements were something Katelyn usually handled since Neil was inept in that category.

Neil breathed out as he continued to trim the stems of a small bundle of white roses. There was no need to get worked up, he'd just stick to a traditional and simple bouquet with white and pink roses, feverfew, and maidenhair to support the arrangement. Neil wasn't quite sure what flirtatious symbolism meant but he decided to go with a red-white combination symbolizing unity which was a bit more long-lasting then flirting.

To achieve the perfect color Neil only needed to reach for a red rose, for his hands were stained white from the arrangement of various pearl-colored flowers littering the counter. One reason Neil preferred shifts where he worked alone when making arrangements was due to his strange affinity for plants and the surreal way he was able to quite literally bring them to life. It would be far too difficult to explain to Mr. Hernandez or Katelyn why the plants seemed to dye his hands whenever he touched them regardless of type or why poisonous vines suddenly sprouted from odd corners of the shop whenever he became stressed or upset.

Neil brushed his fingers against the petals of the rose and the dye seeped from his fingers into the deep red, blending it to a perfect gradient of white seeping into a passionate scarlet. The young man smiled; all's that was left for him to do was trim the maidenhair and find an appropriate wrap to top it off.

However fate seemed to have other plans, for the sudden jingle of the door bell startled Neil into pricking his left index finger on a needle sharp stem of a rose. He quietly hissed through clenched teeth as he grabbed the small wound. Thankfully the small drop of blood had missed the pristine multi-colored rose; he was sure the bride who'd ordered the arrangement wouldn't appreciate blood on her wedding bouquet.

Neil grabbed a small tissue from the box sitting underneath the counter and moved to the front where the counter was, carefully shutting the door behind him. He was just dabbing the little cut when a jovial voice pierced through the quiet of the little shop. "Heellooo? This place isn't abandoned is it?"

"It's not." Neil said quickly as he wrapped the tissue around his ring finger just in time to greet the newcomer that bounded around the shelves containing the smaller more delicate plants.

The customer was a man a little on the tall side of the height spectrum with black curls as bouncy as his demeanor and skin the color of dark caramel. "Oh sorry, I couldn't see over all these leaves." He beamed at Neil.

The intensity of the man's eyes made Neil uncomfortable and he averted his gaze. "What can I help you with?" He turned to straighten the leaves of a larkspur. Just to be on the safe side he glanced into a nearby mirror to make sure his contacts remained in place.

"I'm looking for something for my fiancée." The man's smile never waned despite Neil's apparent discomfort.

"Any special occasion?" Neil glanced back at the customer once satisfied with his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the wisteria that had sprouted out of the drain grow bigger and cursed himself for not plucking it.

Luckily the other man had busied himself with prodding at a cluster of birds of paradise and didn't notice the odd growth of the plant. "Well he's returning to Germany in a week and I wanted to get something nice for him."

Neil's eyebrows furrowed. "Wouldn't it be better to get something that he can actually take back with him then?" He couldn't resist asking. Bloomed flowers weren't exactly travel-safe, especially not when going all the way to Europe.

The man laughed. "I thought about that, but he already has a bunch of souvenirs from his visit. I think flowers will be more meaningful even if he can't take them with him."

Neil was quiet for a moment. He couldn't even begin to imagine having a significant other or someone dear enough to him to buy gifts and flowers for. This was mainly why Katelyn handled the requests and talking to clients and Neil stayed in the back to work. He hadn't the slightest idea about romance save for the vague memories of a few sly pecks whenever his mother's back was turned. And those had never ended well for him at all.

"How about roses? Those are romantic." Neil settled for pitching the most basic yet effective type of flowers. Even if he knew next to nothing about romance or being in love he at least knew that much from piecing together different rose bouquets for last minute Valentine's Day or anniversary gifts.

"Too cliche; I can get roses from any corner store. I want something more...unique but still says I love you lots. Something that requires more thought than roses." The man explained.

Neil thought for a moment. He may be strongly lacking in the romance department but he knew the basic meanings of the flowers they carried. "One minute." He excused himself and slipped towards the back of the store.

Plants opened up and bloomed as Neil made his way past the shelves, and he had to shrug off an ivy vine extending out from a hole in the wall to curl at his shoulders. Normally it was easy to resist the pull of his ability and suppress the natural draw plants had to him, but being surrounded by so many at once made him exhausted from trying to ignore them all.

A night-blooming cereus the owner had been given as a gift opened up for him despite the time of day and fact that they were only supposed to bloom once a year. Not yet, Neil thought silently as he waved a hand over the bloom to get it to fold up again. Mr. Hernandez would be completely devastated if he came back to find his extremely rare plant had bloomed and died while he was absent.

Neil mentally went over the different flowering plants they had in the back, eyes drifting over the various reds and pinks as he dug in his mind for basic information about them. He had never had any real trouble naming and identifying different plants; when he was with his mother he used to pour over different gardening books with her whenever they stopped for longer than a few hours. One of the ways she calmed herself when afraid was to murmur the names of small shrubs and medicinal plants under her breath.

Neil's eyes settled on a fresh bloom of Camellias before a fresh wave of grief could settle over him from lingering on his mother too long. Perfect. Camellias were simple flowers like roses and expressed love and devotion between young lovers. Perfect for the puppy-eyed man up front if he was as devoted to his partner as he seemed to be.

Neil picked the most vibrant red and pink ones from the bunch, wrapping the flowers with a simple white ribbon before returning to the front. He was only mildly surprised to find the customer peering intently at a mimosa pudica as it drooped downwards from being touched.

"Did I kill it?" The man asked when he saw Neil, slightly fearful as he watched the sad-looking plant wilt.

Neil felt a flash of amusement at the almost childish guilt. "Nah, it's a defense mechanism. That plant's a pudica; they fold in on themselves like that when touched to protect their leaves." He explained. "It'll open up in a few minutes."

The man watched the plant before turning to face Neil. His reaction to the bundle of camellias was almost comical. Brown eyes widened and from the way the man beamed Neil thought the sun itself had come into the store. "Oh these are perfect!"

Neil winced at the loudness of the stranger. "They're camellias," He explained. "they symbolize love and devotion, especially among younger couples." A strange look came over the man's face but he attributed it to the flickering fluorescent lightbulb overhead that needed to be changed.

"They're wonderful. You really know a lot about plants, huh?" The man followed Neil to the counter to checkout.

Neil shrugged. "I've been working here a while." He deflected. There was no way he'd tell a complete stranger about his ability; he was convinced his mother might actually come back from the great beyond to murder him if he did.

The man looked like he wanted to say something else as he handed over a twenty for the plants when the doorbell jingled again and a blonde man of below-average height stepped into the shop.

"Nicky, you better not be bugging Kate-" The newcomer stopped short when he saw Neil at the corner, and for a brief moment Neil's muscles tensed up at the thought that he might have been recognized. "You're not Katelyn." The short man's words were accusing.

Neil relaxed at that. So he'd just been expecting Katelyn instead of knowing who Neil was. He could handle that. "She took off for the rest of the day." He answered easily. Neil felt the wisteria vine began to lengthen at the tension in the air.

"Oh, Aaron, I was just checking out." The man, or Nicky, waved the bouquet at the blonde man. "You know for a moment there I was concerned that 'Katelyn' was just a front and you were really just-"

"Shut up." Aaron looked disgusted. "I came in because Andrew's getting impatient and I don't want to get stabbed."

"And you thought Katelyn was here." Nicky said knowingly.

Neil watched the exchange, relieved the attention was off him. "Your change." He said before their argument could escalate. There weren't any other customers to scare at this time but the plants never reacted well to negative energy.

Nicky turned a brilliant smile on Neil. "Thank you so much for your help, Not-Katelyn." He leaned in closer. "You have a nice face."

Neil stared blankly at Nicky while Aaron scoffed. "Don't hit on other people when you're buying flowers for your fiancée."

"I'm just saying the truth. And there's nothing wrong with looking." Nicky laughed.

"Whatever. Get your flowers and get out or my brother will come in after you." Aaron said as he turned to leave.

Andrew must have been a frightening person if the look of genuine fear on Nicky's face was anything to go by. Neil didn't want to admit it but he was slightly intrigued.

Nicky tucked the camellias underneath one arm, pocketed his change, and followed Aaron out the door. "Thanks again for the flowers. See you next time!" He cast one last smile back at Neil.

The short boy wrinkled his nose. He wasn't sure he wanted there to be a next time, but perhaps Nicky was just saying that out of courtesy. Hopefully next time it'd actually by Katelyn at the register to greet either of them.

Now that the distraction was over and done with Neil returned to the work area in the back of the shop to begin the rather tedious process of removing the wisteria vine from the sink with a pair of medium-sized pruning shears.

He had known Katelyn was seeing or even dating someone, but he wouldn't have pegged her to like the grumpy type, especially if  that person was an entire head shorter than her. Neil had assumed that she'd go for someone who was just as bubbly and enthusiastic about life in general as she was, but perhaps the old saying was correct and opposites really did attract.

The rest of the afternoon passed by uneventfully into the evening. The bride and her maid of honor swung by to pick up the bouquet (and were subsequently extremely pleased with the turnout), but other then that nothing noteworthy occurred.

Katelyn called a little before closing to ensure that the shop was still standing and Neil hadn't had some sort of meltdown from dealing with actual people for once, to which Neil had indignantly informed her that he hadn't. If only she knew Neil avoided people out of necessity rather than an excuse to be reclusive. Despite that Katelyn had been pleased to hear that the bride had liked the arrangement Neil had made in her stead, and had made a promise to bring him an extra large coffee the next morning before hanging up.

When the time came to close up the poisonous vines sprouting from drains and cracks had thankfully receded and the flowers around the shop had opened a little more as Neil began prepared to leave. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him Neil shoved his hands in his pockets and breathed in the late summer air. Fall was coming in the next few weeks but it was still warm enough to not need a scarf or gloves on the walk home to his tiny apartment located in a thankfully safer area of Palmetto.

With any luck Neil would still have enough food in his pantry to last him until his shift ended the following day since he'd forgotten to go out for groceries that morning. Or at the very least he'd still have a protein bar or something hidden away in his travel bag that he stored for whenever he was low on food. Tomorrow he'd have to grab something on the way in so that Katelyn wouldn't get suspicious and hassle him about eating properly.

The temperature felt like it had dropped several degrees by the time Neil pushed into his apartment, and he briefly considered whether upping his already hefty heating bill would be worth additional warmth in the coming season. He discarded that thought instantly when an echo of one of his mother's many lectures on staying frugal at all costs came to the forefront of his mind. He needed every cent from the meager pay he made at the floral shop since the leftover funds his mother had left him following her death were quickly dwindling.

Neil flicked on the lights after checking to make sure that the windows were shut tight and his safe was locked. His small one-bedroom apartment resembled a botanical garden with the amount of plant life bursting from every corner. Vines curled out from under the sink and framed the windows, azaleas lined the counter top, and various flowers overgrew their pots and tipped over the surfaces of the apartment. Something Neil was always immensely grateful for during winter was that it was easier to control his ability since there wasn't much plant life to influence during the cold months.

A grape vine sprouted from around the fridge when Neil went to open it, draping around his arms like a dog would greet its master. Just as he thought there was little to nothing in the fridge save for expired milk that he wouldn't even chance drinking.

Neil could enchant a raspberry bush or a small orange tree into growing, but doing so would deplete his energy and make him hungrier than he was right then, so he forewent that idea in favor of searching through the pantry. Underneath a small gathering of African Daisies sat a dented box of microwaveable white rice. Bland and tasteless, but it would be filling enough for Neil until he went to the store the following day.

While the rice heated in Neil's second hand microwave, the runaway took a moment to survey his surroundings. His eyes skimmed over every plant and vine, enchanted and not. Looking for oddities was more out of a habit than anything. One could never be too careful, especially one who spent the last eight and a half years on the run.

The rice made a rather pathetic meal, but Neil could recall having to sustain himself on far less so it wasn't anything too unbearable. He even managed to find an old shaker of salt in his cabinet while looking for silverware to make the rice a little more edible. What really mattered, however, was that he regained some energy if only a meager amount. Already he could feel the vines around the house lengthening in response to the nutrients he consumed.

Neil dumped his empty bowl in the sink after scraping it clean. He considered it lucky that the landlord seemed not to give two shits about what the tenants were up to so long as rent was on time, or he'd have more than a little bit to explain about the abnormal plant growth in his apartment. At the very most the little old lady down the hall had thought he was growing illegal drugs or was some sort of plant enthusiast when she stopped by to greet him one day.

If anything Neil was grateful that he hadn't inherited a destructive power like fire or electricity. Plants were safe, plants were normal and easy to contain. No one would really bat an eye at a plant growing in an unusual place, but more than a few people would notice a fire.

There was nothing more for Neil to do after cleaning up other than to retire for the night, so he flicked the lights off and made for his room. Sleep would likely not come easy to Neil, it never did, but then again nothing in his life had been easy. It was a miracle he could even sleep without the steady pressure of his mother next to him, keeping a silent watch over him since insomnia had ingrained itself into her.

Neil dreamed of the belladonnas his mother used to favor that would sprout from the nearby walls whenever she'd so harshly berate him for a slip up, and the dianthus that would sometimes grow when she was in a favorable mood. He hadn't seen those since long before she'd taken him from his father and run.

Perhaps it was his overworked mind desperately trying to salvage some sort of positive memory from his past that led him to recall her picking dandelions for him on a warm spring evening or putting baby's breaths in his hair.

The dream turned sour when bright pink larkspurs and marigolds began to replace the dandelion fields. Thorns sprouted from the ground and wrapped around Neil's ankles, piercing the skin there and soaking the dark green spikes with red. Dead leaves  floated lazily to the ground, tainting the open plain with death and decay.

Neil struggled only at first before realizing it was futile. His dreams always turned out like this, crushing despair and grief that slept in the back of his mind during the waking hours moving to envelope him wholly. It was nearly impossible to wake himself up when the nightmares began, so entrenched was his own negativity and helplessness. This, he realized quickly, he could not run from.

The last dregs of his nightmare followed Neil into the waking world the next morning, hanging over him like a cloud as he went about his morning activities. He decided to completely forgo getting something to eat before work and could only hope he wouldn't be required to deal with any customers that day; he felt and probably looked like a half-dead body shambling around.

Katelyn was already at the store when Neil got there to work a morning shift before her evening classes that day. She was kind enough not to say anything about his rattled state but pushed a thermos full of hot coffee towards him when he took his place at the work table.

"Chamomile tea before bed with small amounts of honey helps to ensure a good night's rest." She said sympathetically before returning to the register.

Neil didn't acknowledge her words physically, but he did gratefully accept the thermos. The caffeine brought a much needed rush that made his daily tasks of trimming bouquets and taking morning inventory a little easier.

Katelyn kept her usual chatter to a minimum that morning, which Neil was thankful for. On a better day he'd listen and even offer his input when necessary, but today all that he wanted was quiet.

Mr. Hernandez stopped in briefly to check in on things, drop off his and Katelyn's pay checks, and collect paperwork before heading back out. If he noticed Neil's sour mood then he didn't comment for once, which made Neil wonder how bad he looked to the outside world. Normally the older man wasn't afraid to press and ask Neil directly if something was bothering him.

By the time afternoon approached Neil had finished his sixth bouquet which was an assortment of delicate flowers made to be put on a grave. He was just setting it on the shelf at the back when Katelyn poked her head through the door.

"Hey, I'm going on my break now. I'll be at the shopping center across the street with my boyfriend; want anything?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Neil said. Some of his fatigue from that morning had fallen off as he got into the soothing familiarity of work, but there wasn't anyway he'd be able to stomach eating anything until much later.

"Alright, well I'll see you in a bit. Don't work too hard!" Katelyn accompanied that statement with a wink before hanging her apron up on the hook by the door and slipping out.

Neil supposed there were worse people to work with as he watched her leave before turning back to the assortment of bouquets. Katelyn was always nice to him despite his reclusive and sometimes aloof demeanor, and maybe in a different life where he didn't have to worry about constantly hiding and keeping a firm mask he may even have been good friends with her.

While Katelyn was out two customers came to pick up their respective orders, and another two came to browse and shop. None of them stayed more than a few minutes so Neil was free to return to fulfilling the last order for the day. He'd just finished when a vine began to sprout up from the drain of the sink again, this time longer and thicker than the one from the previous day.

With a sigh, Neil shoved the bouquet away and rose from his chair to make his way over to it. He'd probably missed a root when pulling out the other one and it had taken liberty in stubbornly growing to twice the length in return.

"Why can't you just stay down and not grow in weird places?" Neil grumbled as the vine continued to grow to curl around the leg of the sink. He'd probably have to take the drain pipes apart since that was where it was likely rooting itself.

Neil didn't get the chance to, for the bell above the door chimed to alert him to another customer entering the store. He stood with a muttered curse, wiping his hands on the front of his grass stained jeans as he went to the front of the store.

"Hello, welcome to-" Neil stopped short when he saw the same man from yesterday at the entrance. "Oh, you again?" Wasn't this Aaron, the man that Katelyn was supposed to be meeting during her break?

The short man spared Neil a brief glance with flat hazel eyes before turning to observe the shelf of merchandise nearest to him. He didn't seem to acknowledge the question or the fact that Neil had spoken at all, which baffled Neil slightly since yesterday he had hadn't bothered to hide his irritation at all.

"Umm, can I help you find anything?" Neil tried.

Once again Aaron didn't bother answering as he continued to browse, and a sense of unease travelled up Neil's spine. He looked exactly the same as before save for the all-black ensemble and arm bands that he hadn't been wearing yesterday, but his outward demeanor seemed completely different like he'd been replaced by a-

Oh. That was right, hadn't Aaron said something about keeping his brother waiting the day before? Then this must be Andrew then, Neil realized. He certainly hadn't expected him to be Aaron's twin.

As if sensing the sudden epiphany, Andrew slid his eyes up to meet Neil's, finally seeing him. He shrugged. "I was just curious. I've never been in here before." He said shortly.

Neil wondered how he ever mistook the two; other than appearances the twins were completely different from each other. "Well if you're interested, mums are thirty percent off right now."

Andrew blinked, coming to a stop right before Neil. The taller male was suddenly grateful that there was a counter separating them. "I'm not." He said.

Neil resisted the urge to take a step back, his flight instincts tugging at the back of his mind. "Then how about-"

"You do orders for flower arrangements." Andrew cut him off. His words weren't phrased as a question but a statement.

"Yes." Neil said simply.

A humorless smile stretched across Andrew's face. "Then I'd like to place an order." His eyes drifted to a spot over Neil's shoulder. "What kind of assortments do you do for death-related occasions?"

"We have different bundles depending on whether they're for funeral decoration or graves-"

Andrew waved a hand as he interrupted Neil once again. "That's not what I asked. What kind of flowers do you use?"

Neil frowned. He could sense the wisteria vine began to sprout at the negative energy flowing through the air from his and Andrew's exchange and was immensely thankful that he'd remembered to shut the door so the back wasn't visible to anyone at the front of the store. "White lilies," he started with the obvious. "cypresses, marigolds."

"Boooring." Andrew drawled, eyes dulling in disinterest. "I don't want that sappy remembrance shit."

"Well there are black roses, but they aren't something I'd usually put in a funeral arrangement." Neil tried. His general unease was slightly pushed away by growing ire at Andrew's difficult front. He waited for the scoff and for Andrew to shoot down the suggestion, but to his surprise hazel eyes refocused in on his face directly this time.

"Why not?"

Neil hesitated, momentarily stumped. "Well, because they're...too dark. They symbolize death, yes, but also cruelty and negativity." He said slowly.

Andrew tilted his head. "Now we're getting somewhere." He leaned on the counter, resting his head on his folded hands as he stared up at Neil with a look that was three parts mocking and two parts amused. "What else?"

"I never recommend cypresses because they also mean despair or rejected love. And hemlock means that you'll be the death of someone." Neil continued, listing the flowers like he was reading a shopping list. Knowing what went together and their meanings was about studying and prior knowledge, but also picking whatever came instinctively to mind. Sometimes he swore he could even sense what people were feeling based on what flowers they reacted to or which reacted to them.

Neil couldn't feel a single thing from Andrew.

"Tell you what," Andrew didn't move from his leaning position as he continued to gaze at Neil. "You make an arrangement based on what you think I'd like, and I'll pick it up tomorrow...actually make that the day after tomorrow when my silly brother acts like he's being sneaky trying to see Miss Sunshine during her lunch break and I get to pretend not to notice otherwise. I was planning to confront him today, but now I have something to look forward to."

Andrew being a paying customer meant Neil couldn't just laugh in his face and throw him out without having to explain to Mr. Hernandez why he refused a source of revenue, so Neil begrudgingly tore an order form off of the clipboard sitting next to the register. "Name?" He asked as he swiped a sunflower-capped pen out of a box.

"Andrew Minyard." The shorter male said, all traces of amusement gone as he stood up straight and shoved his hands into his pockets. The bored disinterest from when he'd first entered the store was back in full force.

Neil filled in his name and the date. "What occasion should I put?" He doubted this was for an actual funeral and he hadn't the slightest idea why Andrew would need such negative flowers.

Andrew shrugged. "A gift for someone special." He said, smiling slightly to himself as if sharing in a private joke.

More like a gift for an enemy of some sort, Neil thought. He wrote it in anyway and hoped that Katelyn wouldn't take it upon herself to try to sort through the orders later. "Any specific flowers you'd like to request other than the black rose? A note to your...special someone?"

"Pomegranate blooms if you have them." Andrew glanced at Neil as he said this. "As for the note, I think the flowers will say enough as it is."

Neil scribbled the rest of the request down before folding the ends of the order form. When Andrew didn't add anything else he dropped it into the bin that they used for orders. "The cost for the arrangement is 21.95, but since you want it in a two day time frame that's considered a rush order and is an extra 6.95. Is that alright?" He asked.

Andrew, who was antagonizing the same pudica Nicky had frightened the day before by poking at its drooping leaves, hummed. "Of course." He sounded like he wasn't really paying attention but it wasn't Neil's job to baby customers so he didn't repeat himself.

"Then your order will be ready by 1:30 the day after tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by Millport Florists." Neil said, his tone slightly forced.

Andrew seemed to take the hint and strolled towards the door, only to stop before it. He glanced back at the same spot over Neil's shoulder. "Oh yeah, you might want to take care of that vine problem. People might get the wrong idea."

Neil whipped around and nearly choked at the sight of the wisteria vine that had only grown out of the sink the last he'd seen it but was now slipping through the bottom of the door. The mischievous vine was curling around the doorknob as if trying to open it from the other side to free itself.

"This isn't-it's not-" Neil spluttered, but was cut off by the slam of the door as Andrew exited without another word. He cursed himself for not sensing or detecting the vine's steady spread and attributed its sudden growth to the negativity practically rolling off Andrew in waves. He had been careless, and carelessness got people killed. It was what had killed his mother in the end after all.

If he was lucky then Andrew would simply assume the vine's growth was either some weird mutation or lack of proper attentiveness on Neil's part (which it was, both the former and the latter) and never think of it again, but the shorter man didn't seem the type to make note of such a thing and later forget about it. Neil couldn't afford for anyone to discover who-or what-he was, couldn't afford to drop everything and run again and change his whole identity. He didn't think he could survive it another time.

The thought of leaving Millport behind and everything in it to start anew filled Neil with more despair than it probably should have, and he cursed himself once again for daring to form attachments even if to only two people. If he was smart then he would have cut ties and run as soon as he began to settle into the familiarity working at the Millport Florist brought since familiarity bred a sense of security and rhythm that someone on the run couldn't afford to feel.

Neil felt his back touch the door as he leaned heavily against it, desperate for some sort of steadiness to weigh him down amid the torrent of panic and fear starting to build within him. The vine sprouting from under the door curled at his ankles, and the flowers on the shelves nearest to him began to wilt under the crushing influx of his despair.

Get ahold of yourself, his mother's unyieldingly stern reprimand echoed in his mind, temporarily bringing Neil down to earth. It wasn't over yet, he realized as the terror from his attack began to fade. He was just overreacting; there were tons of excuses for the vines, and it was stupid to assume everything was over because of such a thing. Andrew obviously hadn't thought much of the sight or he would have said a lot more than a casual remark about it, so there wasn't any reason for Neil to think he'd be running to the nearest news station over a plant growing abnormally.

Neil closed his eyes and let his head drop back against the door with a gasp. The sudden decrease in activity had the vines begin to retreat back underneath the door towards the sink, and Neil only had to wave a hand at the wilting flowers to get them to open back up.

"Neil? Hey, I'm back." Katelyn's voice echoed through the store as she reentered through the front. "I know you said you weren't hungry or anything, but you were looking really pale earlier so I stopped at Hot Bagel and got you something anyways."

The honey-blonde girl appeared in front of the counter with a small brown bag clutched in the hand not holding her purse. The smell wafting from the carry out made Neil's stomach rumble, and Katelyn smiled knowingly at him.

"Thanks." Neil sighed and accepted the food. He was rather hungry after the energy consumption his near-breakdown had caused, so there was no point in putting off eating any longer.

"It's no trouble. I don't mind helping you out you know, especially since you cover for me plenty with my hectic summer exam scheduling." Katelyn said sympathetically.

A prickling of dread nipped at the back of Neil's mind as his mind flashed to his mother's previous warnings about forming attachments. He shoved a larger bite of the bagel than necessary into his mouth told himself that Katelyn was just being nice like she was to pretty much every other person on the planet and that if push came to shove he'd be able to cut any ties with her and Mr. Hernandez and run.

Neil had always been bad at lying, even to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> wtf Neil you're such a drama queen


End file.
